Focus On Frozen Food: 30 May

Focus On Frozen Food, by Rob Brown

Publishing: 30 May

Advertising deadline: 18 May

Download the synopsis

Submissions deadline: 13 May

The story

The frozen food category was making a steady comeback. Then it accelerated at breakneck speed amid coronavirus-sparked stockpiling – which saw some shoppers forced to buy bigger or extra freezers for their home, to accommodate all those extra goods. Vegetables and potato products were especially popular. How successful has frozen become? Has it finally shaken off the perception it is ‘cheap and low quality’? Which products are the biggest winners? And the losers?

Key themes

Veg & fruit: frozen veg has been a smash amid the pandemic, with shoppers not only wanting to get their 5 a day but also enjoy more scratch cooking. Which products and brands have done best? Are shoppers finally accepting that frozen is at least as healthy as fresh – and that there’s more to frozen veg than peas and potatoes? How are suppliers coping with demand? Will there be enough to go around if the lockdown is extended?

Premiumisation: frozen has long had an image of cheapness – and freezers are still the place for good value. But now posh products of all kinds are joining the frozen aisle. Who are they? What are they doing? And how well are they doing it? How are prices being affected? And how is own-label fighting back?

Ice cream & desserts: ice cream sales suffered in the early days of panic-buying, as fake news suggested the product made consumers more susceptible to Covid-19. Now, however, people are comfort eating with gusto – and that could mean good times for frozen desserts. What’s the story here?

Ready meals: frozen ready meals are apparently still in abundance around the UK’s grocers. Why? Has lockdown Britain sparked the decline of the ultimate convenient dinner?

Kantar data: using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the frozen sub categories

Nielsen: using Nielsen commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the leading frozen brands?

Shopper Intelligence: how do consumers shop the frozen category?

Innovations: We identify four new products that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before including launch date and RSP, and a picture of each.